Last line indicating attachment for typewriters



1940- A. D. THOMAS 2,212,463

LAST LINE mmcnme ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed o cg. 12, 1939 2 Sheets-sheaf 1 I fdaljyfius BLT/10mm;

Aug 20 1940. .A. o. THOMAS LAST'LINE. INDICATING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed'oct. 12, 1939 ZShee'ts-Sheet 2 2 Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED S ATES LAST INDICATING ATTACHMENT FOR THEWRITEBS Adolphus D. Thomas, San Bernardino, Calif. Application October 12,1939, Serial No. 299,198

3 Claims. (01. 197-189) This invention relates to a means or attachment to a typewriter which will give, an audible or other signal or indication when the. last line desired for typing is reached, to the end that typing will cease at the proper distance from the bottom of the page and the pages will be uniform, and sufllcient space left in which to number or otherwise distinguish them.

More specifically, itis aimed to provide a device of the present character which is operable .by the turning of the platen of the typewriter and has novel means adapted to be manually set according to the distance desired for the last line from, the top of the sheet. I

I further aim, to provide a structure of the present character in the nature of an attachment to existing typewriters, wherein the parts are operable byv spring controlled gearing and wherein the parts may be readily reset.

Various additional objects and advantages will A ecome apparent from a consideration of the de scription following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings: I I

Figure 1. is a view showing my improvements in plan and as attached to a typewriter, the latter being shown fragmentarily;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the parts of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 2:

Figure 4 is an elevation looking interiorly of the attachment from one side, the cover plate being removed;

Figure 5 is a'vertical section taken on the line- 33 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a detail section taken on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 3;

Figure 'l is a horizontal section taken on the plane of line 'I-'-| of Figure 4;;

Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 4;

- Figure 9 is a perspective of the-clapper for the bell, and

Figure 10 is a perspective of the trip member associated with the clapper.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, the frame of a typewriter carriage is fragmentarily shown at ill mounting the platen at I l in the usual manner, that is by means of a shaft l2 Journaled therein. p

The parts constituting my invention are mounted by a generally cylindrical housing or casing l3 which includes a container section l3 having an end wall l5 vertically disposed, and a cylindrical wall l3. It also has a removable closure section I! constituting an end wall which. is fastened detachably in place as by means of 5 a screw 13 engaging a bracket l8 suitably mounted on the wall l6. Such casing I3 is attached to the carriage frame III in any suitable manner, preferably removably by means of a bracket 23 screwed at 2| to the carriage frame 10 and bolted at 22, detachably to the wall i5.

Attached to the platen shaft i2 in axial alinement therewith is an extension or operating shaft ,23 for my attachment. This shaft may have a sleeve at 23, rigidly but removably coupled to 15 shaft l2 by means of screws 25. Shaft 23 extends through the walls lii and I1, in which they are jomnaled, and in the former is a bearing as at 26. Shaft 23 may be operated manually like the shaft i2 of the typewriter and at its outer 20 endpreferably has a knob 21.

Shaft 23 carries a gear or pinion 23 interiorly of the housing 13 which is enmeshed with the peripheral teeth 23 of a gear wheel 30, the latter preferably being skeletonized as shown. Said g5 gear wheel 30 is journaled on an arbor or pin 3i extending longitudinally and substantially centrally of the housing l3 and rigidly from a reset lever 32 which is pivoted by means of a'screw 33, or otherwise, to the inner end wall Iii of housing 30 i3. Such lever 32 extends exteriorly of the housing l3 through a peripheral slot 34 in wall l3 of a length to permit and limit its movement. A contractile spiral orclock spring 35 has one end fastened at 33 to the gear wheel 30 and its other end fastened to a short sleeve 31 which in'turn is fastened by a pin 33, rigidly but removably to the arbor or pin 3i. In this manner, the teeth 29 of gear wheel 33 are normally enmeshed with 1 the teeth of the pinion 23 but are capable of de- 40 meshing with said pinion by operation of the reset lever 32 since the latter swings on an axis position in which teeth 23 are enmeshed with the pinion 23 in a suitable manner, as by means of an arm- 33 of a generally U-shaped spring 43, u

2 aaiacce expanding against the same and anchored as at 45, to the inner end wall I 5.

Wall or closure l1 carries a bell or other audible signal member 46 interiorly of the housing l3 and the same is adapted to be sounded through the operation of the platen ii, gearing described, and novel trip means and clapper adjustably mounted on the peripheral wall It. To this end, anarcuate indicator strip or band is provided at 41 on the periphery of wall it, having one endupturned as at 88 to facilitate manual manipulation. Such strip 41 has indications or calibrations 49 thereon proportioned with respect to the rotation of platen II, to indicate in inches, the travel of a sheet of paper with the platen, as the sheet oi. paper passes through the typewrlting machine, incidental to typewriting successive lines thereon. Parallel to the strip 41, is an arcuate plate 50, arranged interiorly of the housing and in engagement with the inner surface of wall I6 and rigidly connected with the strip or band 41 as by means of a screw 5!, preferably rigid with strip 41 and extending through an elongated slot 52 peripherally through the wall- It which is engaged by a nut 53, bearing against the plate 50. A guide pin or lug 54, may extend inwardly from the strip 4'! and operate in the slot 52, with a view to preventing tendency of the strip to turn on the member 5| or to otherwise displace. I

A bracket 55 depends from the plate 50 and rigidly mounts a pin or arbor 56. Pivoted on such arbor 56 is a clapper lever 51 which is held in normal position by a spring wire 58, passing through an opening in the arbor 56 and through an enlarged end or clapper 59 on such lever 51. Such clapper 59 is in the path of movement of a stud 80 which raises and releases the same against the tension of the spring 61, with the clapper engaging and sounding the bell 46 when the last, line for typing on the sheet is reached. Said stud 80 however, directly engages a flange 6| on an angular arm. 62 of a trip lever 68 to sound the alarm. Such lever 68 as shown is pivoted on the arbor 56 and it has a hook 64 which is normally urged into engagement with a lug or wall 65 of the clapper lever I51, being so urged by means 01 a coil spring 88 fastened at one end to the arbor 56 and at its other end to the lever 63. It will be realized that the levers 51 and 68 will raise and lower as a unit when engaged by thestud 60 movingin a clockwise direction and against the flange 8| tolv sound the bell 46 but that, when resetting, the stud 80 when moving against the flange 6| in a clockwise direction, will simply raise the lever 63 against the tension of its spring 86, in order to pass the same, without disturbing or operating the clapper or lever 51..

As a result of the construction described, when a sheet of paper is placed in the typewriter in the usual manner, for instance with its upper edge even with the scale bar, it is known or calculated, at what distance the last line or the typewriting on the sheet should occur and the strip "is adjusted accordingly in connection with the calibrations 49 thereon and the zero indication 66'--on the exterior of wall it, the strip 41 remaining in the different adjusted positions by the frictional engagement of the same and plate 50 with the'wall i8. Such adjustment of the strip. properly locates the trip lever 08 and clapper lever 51 with respect .to the stud 80. The usual rotation of the platen ll according to the setting oi-the strip 41, will rotate the shafts l2 and 23, pinion 28, and'gear 2!, 5

gradually advancing the latter so that at the lastline position iorthe typing,'stud 80 will by anticlockwise movement of the gear 30, strikefiange 6|, lifting levers 63 and 51 so that the striker or clapper 59 will fall against the bell 48 and thus 10 sound the alarm or signal that the last line for typing has been reached. In any intermediate or other position; as may be rendered necessary for erasing, back spacing or the like, the parts may be appropriately reset by depressing the lever I2,

against'the tension of the spring 43-44, thereby disengaging the teeth 29 from those 0! the pinion 28, and thus enabling spring I! to move the gear 30 clockwise to'the extent permitted by abutment of the pin 39 with the stop spring 20 40 at the hooked end 42.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention: '25

1. In combination with a rotatable platen, a

gear rotatable through the rotation of said platen, an arbor on which said gear is iournaled, a lever carrying said arbor, spring means urging the gear to normal position, said lever being movto I able to disengage the gear from driving relation with the platen so that said spring will reset the gear, a stud on said gear, a signal, means operable toactuate the signal through travel ofsaid.

stud, comprising an indicator strip adjustable about the axis oi the gear, a clapper lever carried by said indicator strip. and a trip lever carried .by said indicator strip engageable by said stud to actuate the clapper lever.

- 2. In combination with a rotatable platen, a 0

gear rotatable through the rotation of said platen; an arbor on which said gear isiournaled, a lever carrying said arbor, spring means urging the gear to normal positio said lever being movable to disengage the gear from driving relation with the platen so that said spring will reset the gear, a stud on said gear, a signal, means opera able to actuate the signal through travel of said stud, comprising an indicator strip adjustable about the axis of the gear, a clapper lever carried by said indicator strip, a trip lever carried by said indicator strip engageable by said stud to actuate the clapper lever, means mounting the trip lever for movement relatively, to the clapper leverincidental to resetting oi the device, and 5s spring means engaging the first mentioned lever and urging it to set position.

3. In combination with a rotatable platen, a gear rotatable through the rotation 01' said platen, an arbor on which said'gear is iournaled, 00.

spring means urging the gear to normal position, a' stud on said gear a signal, means operable to actuate the signal through travel 01' said stud comprising an indicator strip adjustable about the axis of the gear, .a clapper. lever carried by said indicator strip, and a trip lever carried by said indicator strip engageable by said stud to actuate the clapper lever. I I

ADOLPHUS D. THOMAS. 

